Émilise Lessard-Therrien resigns from her position as co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire

The female co-spokesperson for Québec solidaire (QS), Émilise Lessard-Therrien, throws in the towel. She announced Monday that she was resigning from her position, just months after being elected by activists.

In a long message published on her Facebook page, Ms. Lessard-Therrien writes that barely four months [auront] enough to [l]’exhaust. She had also announced a few weeks ago that she was taking a step back from her duties, for a then undisclosed “health concern”. Nothing seriousshe then wrote on social networks to reassure activists.

However, she now confirms that this work stoppage was due to exhaustion, fueled by deep divisions within the political party.

Solidarity suggests in its message that its ambition to cultivate sensitivity, heart, listening, authenticity and frankness in politics has been undermined recently by usual compromises, image calculations and vote indicators.

Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois and his entourage singled out

She mostly points a small team of professionals woven tightly around the male spokespersonGabriel Nadeau-Dubois. Different visions collidedshe writes, visions hardly compatible.

And then, through that, I was scolded or made to feel guilty for speaking sincerely, for giving opinions or following my intuition. I was invalidated when I named needs.

This is not the first time that the leadership of Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois has been challenged. Another former MP, Catherine Dorion, published a book last year in which she describes at length the influence, according to her, harmful, of the male spokesperson for Québec solidaire.

In her message which takes on the appearance of a story, Émilise Lessard-Therrien recounts having spent the last few weeks in the forest making sugars.

: I’m going to need time, much more time than I thought to find the passion to nourish our struggles with all the heart of which I know I’m capable”,”text”:”An observation has begun to emerge: I’m going to need time, much more time than I thought to rediscover the passion to nourish our struggles with all the heart of which I know I am capable”}}”>An observation began to emerge: I am going to need time, much more time than I thought to find the passion to nourish our struggles with all the heart of which I know I am capable.she adds.

Elected solidarity deputy in the constituency of Rouyn-Noranda-Témiscamingue from 2018 to 2022, Ms. Lessard-Therien was ultimately defeated by the CAQ candidate in the most recent provincial election. However, she remained active as an activist.

Last year, she ran for the position of female co-spokesperson for the party after the departure of Manon Massé. She finally had the upper hand over her colleague Ruba Ghazal after an extremely close vote, the former MP collecting just over 50% of the activists’ vote.

Émilise Lessard-Therrien had put forward the need for QS to expand its base in the regions.

Québec solidaire reacts

In a press release, the president of Québec solidaire, Roxane Milot, said she had taken note of Ms. Lessard-Therrien’s decision on Sunday. with great sadness.

Obviously, I respect her choice and I wish her to continue to take care of herself with her loved ones in Témiscamingue.writes Ms. Milot, specifying that her departure is a great loss for his party.

According to the president, welcoming a new extra-parliamentary spokesperson was quite a challengeAnd QS was, until Ms. Lessard-Therrien stopped working, in a period of transition.

Despite the layoffs that we had to make following the general elections, the general management of the party and I worked to reorganize and increase its resources to allow Émilise to exercise her role in the best possible conditions, despite the logistical and of distance.

Ms. Milot refrained from giving details of a possible race for the position of female co-spokesperson, out of respect for Émilise.